I am going go ahead and put personal politics out front: I am a huge fan of The eXile, and while Ames is my favorite, I certainly took Taibbi’s side in this epic back-and-forth with Michael McFaul from 2002.

Therefore I was unsurprised by what could be perceived as mis-steps early in Michael McFaul tenure as the 6th US ambassador to post-USSR Russia. After all, there he was, sweating his way through press conferences in early days (as seen in the BBC documentary posted here), and generally seeming out of his element…

And in perhaps the biggest sign of acceptance, McFaul gamely made an appearance on Вечерний Ургант in November 2012, less than a year into his tenure (McFaul is there for the opening gag and then enters again at 7:40):

While the most telling moment may be the energetic applause from the audience at mention of Barack Obama’s re-election, McFaul himself gets an ovation when he lists the top three reasons Americans should visit Russia (люди, люди, и люди). He is a good sport throughout.